1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for accommodating wheelchairs occupied by handicapped persons in public transportation vehicles, such as buses and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various statutes and regulations require that certain public transportation vehicles provide accommodations for handicapped persons confined to wheelchairs. For example, some municipal bus companies are required to provide both ramps on a certain percentage of their buses for loading wheelchairs occupied by handicapped persons into the buses and spaces within the buses for accommodating the wheelchairs and the occupants therein after loading. A variety of lift systems for transit vehicles for accomplishing loading and unloading of wheelchairs with the occupants confined thereto are known, as indicated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,138,023; 4,180,366; 4,168,134; 4,140,230; 4,071,152; and 3,957,164. However, none of the foregoing references disclose any systems suitable for conveniently and safely accommodating the wheelchairs and occupants therein and within a transit vehicle after they have been loaded thereon by means of the various known wheelchair lift systems. Most commonly, several seats have been removed from the bus to provide space wherein one or several wheelchairs can be guided and secured by means of straps or the like. However, this system presents a great deal of inconvenience to bus drivers due to the fact that there are no convenient facilities on known transit vehicles for safely securing the wheelchairs and their occupants in the provided spaces. Consequently, each time a handicapped person and his or her wheelchair is loaded onto the transit vehicle, the driver must leave his seat and go back to strap the handicapped person and his or her wheelchair safely into the allocated space. Usually, considerable difficulty is experienced in moving the wheelchair with its occupants from the lift and positioning the wheelchair with its occupant in the desired space. The inconvenience and amount of time required for the driver to perform the foregoing tasks makes it very difficult for him or her to maintain a precise schedule and generally makes the driver's work unduly difficult. Furthermore, the driver's assistance is frequently required in unfastening and unloading the wheelchair and its occupant when the occupant's desired destination has been reached. Thus, there clearly is an unmet need for an improved system for safely accommodating persons confined to wheelchairs in public transportation vehicles.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved system for accommodating wheelchairs and occupants confined thereto within a transportation vehicle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for accommodating persons confined to a wheelchair in a transit vehicle, which system does not require the assistance of the transit vehicle driver to leave his seat in order to assist in loading or unloading the wheelchair and occupant confined thereto from the transit vehicle or in securely fastening or unfastening the occupant and his or her wheelchair safely within allocated space within the transit vehicle.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system for accommodating persons confined to wheelchairs, which system requires very little or no fastening or securing of the wheelchairs within the transit vehicle after the wheelchairs and occupants confined thereto have been loaded into the transit vehicle.